Lughati, a Sharjah-based initiative dedicated to empowering the national Arabic curriculum with smart learning tools, has announced the participation of 18 kindergarten schools in the fifth edition of the ‘Lughati Play Award’, which aims to motivate young pupils to use Arabic in creative stage performances.

Following a collaboration agreement signed with the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) to include private schools in Sharjah on a trial basis, Lughati has announced the presence of 6 public sector kindergartens and 8 more from the private sector who will compete for the award this year. This move seeks to enhance children’s creativity in their use of Arabic language in daily life.

Entry criteria

The chief criterion for participating kindergartens is that every submission should align with the theme of Sharjah World Book Capital 2019: Open Books. Open Minds. Each kindergarten will be allowed one
15-minute performance with the option of including dance as an additional creative element.

Entries will be judged on their overall production quality, adherence to the competition’s theme, the use of standard yet simple Arabic language, innovations in stage direction including costume design, sound effects and background score, and the sense of character, pacing and energy that the cast brings to the show.

Attractive prizes

AED 28,000 is the total prize money awarded to the Lughati Play Award finalists with AED 10,000 going to the first prize winner, AED 7,000 for the second-best play and AED 5,000 for the third-place finalist. In addition, AED 2,000 each will be awarded in three separate categories – Outstanding Team, Best Décor and Costume Design.

According to Badria Al Ali, Manager of Lughati, “The projects and programmes under the Lughati initiative aims to encourage an engaging and proactive approach to promote the integration of Arabic into everyday use amongst the new generation of school-going children. We believe that an increased understanding of the language is crucial to enhance their scientific and social perspectives. Arabic is one of the defining factors of our identity and culture, and we are committed to preserving and promoting it innovatively including via stage performances which, we believe, serves as an important platform for children to showcase their talents and express their imagination in creative ways.”

“Over the years, the award has successfully helped us discover promising talents,” he added.  “The number of participants has been increasing year on year, and with the addition of private kindergartens this year, we look forward to seeing more out-of-the-box thinking on stage.”

To update participating kindergartens about the award and its assessment criteria, Lughati also organised a workshop for the teachers of these institutions. Hassan Ragab, theatre director and member of the jury, delivered the workshop where 33 teachers were trained in teaching children to enunciate Arabic words clearly. He also instructed them on the basics of stage direction and how to adhere to the play’s theme.